Miss Universe 1990-1999

1990

Mona Grudt

NORWAY

Los Angeles, California USA

1st runner-up - Carol Anne Marie Gist USA

2nd runner-up - Lizeth Yamile Arevalo COLOMBIA

FINALISTS

Rosario Rico Toro del Pilar BOLIVIA

Urania Haltenhoff Nikiforos CHILE

Ma.de los Angeles del Rosario Santiago MEXICO

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Jana Kronkova CZECHOSLOVAKIA

Suzanne Sabloak INDIA

Julide Ates TURKEY

Andreina Katarina Goetz Blohm VENEZUELA

The pageant was celebrating its 30th year anniversary and change came along with such celebrations. Television viewers got an eyeful as the parade of nations showed each delegate in swimsuit and evening gown. From the 10 semi-finalists, 6 finaists were chosen instead of 5. And again this number was trimmed down to three after all 6 finalists answered the dreaded judge's questions. The first batch of 3 finalists were Misses Norway, USA, and Colombia. This year also marked the last reading of the Miss Universe creed by Angela Visser.

1991

Lupita Jones

MEXICO

Las Vegas, Nevada USA

1st runner-up Paulien Huizinga NETHERLANDS

2nd runner-up Yulia Lemigova USSR

FINALISTS:

Kimberley Mais JAMAICA

Kelli McCarty USA

Jackeline Rodriguez Strefezza VENEZUELA

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Jacqueline Nelleke Josien Krijger CURACAO

Mareva Georges FRANCE

Vivian Rosanna Benitez Brizuela PARAGUAY

Natasha Pavlovic YUGOSLAVIA

There was no doubt that early favorite Mexico's Lupita Jones would do well on pageant night. But not with stiff competition from the likes of statuesque Paulien Huizinga of the Netherlands hoping to repeat Angela Visser's performance only two years before, and USSR's charming Yulia Lemigova, the first delegate from the USSR. Lupita prevailed with the help of a large cheering section in the audience giving Mexico it's only Miss Universe crown to date

1992

Michelle McLean

NAMIBIA

Bangkok, Thailand

1st runner-up Diana Paola Turbay COLOMBIA

2nd runner-up Madhushri Sapre INDIA

FINALISTS:

Anke van Dermeersch BELGIUM

Vivian Jansen NETHERLANDS

Carolina Eva Izsak Kemenify VENEZUELA

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Georgina Denahy AUSTRALIA

Lisa Maree de Montalk NEW ZEALAND

Monica Brodd SWEDEN

Shannon LaRhea Marketic USA

Michelle McLean became the second African to win the Miss Universe title after Margaret Gardiner in 1978. The year was 1992. The site was exotic Bangkok, Thailand and another stunning visual feast to the televiewer and a appropriate background for the 78 delegates in competition. One of the heaviest competitions the Miss Universe pageant ever had was indeed this one with several veteran delegates from the previous year's Miss World pageant including Michelle, where she wound up as a finalist.

1993

Dayanara Torres

PUERTO RICO

Mexico City, Mexico

1st runner-up Paula Andrea Betancourt COLOMBIA

2nd runner-up Milka Yelisava Chulina VENEZUELA

FINALISTS:

Voni Delfos AUSTRALIA

Namrata Shirodkar INDIA

Kenya Summer Moore USA

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Leila Cristine Schuster BRAZIL

Pavlina Barbukova CZECH REPUBLIC

Tarja Smura FINLAND

Eugenia del Pilar Santana Alba SPAIN

Another year of surprises was this year as Puerto Rico's Dayanara Torres squeaks past preliminary front runners Milka Chulina of Venezuela, Kenya Moore of the USA, and Voni Delfos of Australia with her sweet and charming demeanor amid the loud and unruly Mexican audience who at one point booed the entrance of Miss USA in the semi-finals.

1994

Sushmita Sen

INDIA

Manila, Philippines

1st runner-up Carolina Gomez COLOMBIA

2nd runner-up Minorka Marisela Mercado VENEZUELA

FINALISTS:

Charlene Bonnin Gonzalez PHILIPPINES

Silvia Lakatosova SLOVAK REPUBLIC

Frances Louise Parker USA

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Rea Toutounzi GREECE

Arianna David ITALY

Dominique Forsberg SWEDEN

Patricia Fässler SWITZERLAND

Another feast for the televiewers eye as Manila hosts te pageant once again after 25 years. Dark horse Sushmita Sen radiates pure charm and intelligence as she overturns favorites hometown girl Charlene Gonzales, press favorite Christine Roelandts of Belgium, USA's Lu Parker, Minorka Mercado of Venezuela and preliminary front runner Carolina Gomez of Colombia to win the title. Sushmita wins the first of two Miss Universe crowns in a decade that proves India as a powerhouse of beauty pageant history.

1995

Chelsi Smith

USA

Windhoek, Namibia

1st runner-up Manpreet Brar INDIA

2nd runner-up Lana Buchberger CANADA

FINALISTS:

Desirée Lowry Rodriguez PUERTO RICO

Arlene Peterkin TRINIDAD/TOBAGO

Denyse del Carmen Floreano Camargo VENEZUELA

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Tatiana Leonor Castro Abuchaibe COLOMBIA

Cándida Lara Betances DOMINICAN REP.

Eleanora Beatrice Carrillo Alamanni EL SALVADOR

Augustine Masilela SOUTH AFRICA

Newly indpendent Namibia hosts this year's pageant. Namibia's own Michelle McLean had won the title only two years before making it even more timely. This year also marks the year the pageant is first held in Africa and this pageant attracted the most number of delegates ever, 82. This is also the first time since 1984 that South Africa had sent a delegate in the person of Augustine Masilela, and she makes the semi-finals. India almost won back to back titles as Manpreet Brar barely misses the tiel and winds up runner-up to the USA's Chelsi Smith, a consistent favorite even in the preliminaries. Chelsi is the 6th American to win the title, further strengthening the USA's domination of the pageant.

1996

Alicia Machado

VENEZUELA

Las Vegas, Nevada

USA

1st runner up Taryn Scheryl Mansell ARUBA

2nd runner-up Iyabode Ololade Odusoga FINLAND

FINALISTS:

Vanessa Guzmán Niebla MEXICO

Ilmira Shamsutdinova RUSSIA

Ali Landry USA

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Carmen Milena Mayorga EL SALVADOR

Sandhya Chib INDIA

Venezuela's Alicia Machado was the clear favorite for the crown as she sashayed and charmed her way to the audience's and judges' hearts on pageant night. Shortly after her crowning, Venezuela's 4th Miss Universe was asked what she would do now that she was Miss Universe…Without hesitation, she replied, "EAT, EAT, EAT!!" She would later allegedly gain more ad more weight reaching an all time high of 150 lbs. which led to speculations of stripping Alicia of her crown. Undaunted, Alicia succumbed to the media blitz and crowned her successor a year later 10 to 15 lbs heavier than on the night she herself captured the Universe.

Natalí Patricia Sacco Angeles PERU

Annika Duckmark SWEDEN

1997

Brook Mahealani Lee

USA

Miami Beach, Florida

USA

1st runner-up Marena Jpsefina Bencomo VENEZUELA

2nd runner-up Margot Rita Bourgeois TRINIDAD/TOBAGO

FINALISTS:

Verna Angela Maria Vasquez CURACAO

Denny Mendez ITALY

Lia Victoria Borrero González PANAMA

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Kristiina Heinmets ESTONIA

Nafisa Joseph INDIA

Ana Rosa Brito Suárez PUERTO RICO

Victoria Lagerstrom SWEDEN

1998

Wendy Fitzwilliam

TRINIDAD/TOBAGO

Honolulu, Hawaii

USA

1st runner-up Veruska Tatiana Ramirez VENEZUELA

2nd runner-up Joyce Marie Giraud PUERTO RICO

FINALISTS:

Silvia Fernanda Ortiz Guerra COLOMBIA

Shawnae Nicole Jebbia USA

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Michella Dauzacker Marchi BRAZIL

Lymaraina D'Souza INDIA

Andrea Roche IRELAND

Anna Malova RUSSIA

Kerishnie Naicker SOUTH AFRICA

1998 saw the 3rd black woman to win the crown and the second from Trinidad/Tobago in the person of Wendy Fitzwilliam. An unwelcome change, though, is made as television audiences no longer enjoyed the traditional parade of natios with delegates in National Costume but a glitzy fashion-show like slide show of each delegate sans preliminary scores.

1999

Mpule Kwelagobe

BOTSWANA

Trinidad and Tobago

1st runner-up Miriam Quiambao PHILIPPINES

2nd runner-up Diana Nogueria SPAIN

FINALISTS:

Sonia Raciti SOUTH AFRICA

Lucbel Carolina Indriago Pinto VENEZUELA

SEMI-FINALISTS:

Akuba Cudjoe GHANA

Gul Panag INDIA

Nicole Haughton JAMAICA

Silvia Salgado Cavazos MEXICO

Brenda Liz Lopez Ramos PUERTO RICO

History was again definitely made this year! Mpule ws the first black African to win the crown, the third Africa after Margaret Gardiner and Michelle McLean. Mpule and Wendy Fitzwilliam were the first set of "black-to-black" winners. USA didn't make the semifinals, not since Barbara Peterson failed to make the cut in 1975. This pageant had the most delegates to attend up to present. Mpule was also the first delegate from her country to ever join the Miss Universe pageant. What a stroke of luck. Mpule, however, was a non-finalist at the Miss World pageant 2 years earlier. (Articles from http://www.geocities.com/pageantmania and pictures from MissUniverse.com)

Source: http://missosology.info/